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Nice comfy warm slippers…Wait! What? Hm…, you probably think I’ve lost my mind. It’s July! It’s hot! Wearing comfy, warm slippers is probably the last thing you want to do. I get that. I don’t want to wear them now either, BUT if you’re going to be stuck inside during a good portion of broiling hot summer days, why not get a head start on a few Christmas gifts?

Does your family get new jammies every Christmas? How about making them slippers to match?

These slippers can be stitched up in less than an hour and my printable pattern has instructions on how to adjust for different sizes.

I used scraps of fleece left over from other projects, but you could also use an old sweatshirt. Another great repurpose-recycle-restyle idea is to use some of those fleece blankets that you always seem to buy every year on Black Friday. Please tell me I am not the only one who does that. I don’t know about you, but those things breed like bunnies in my house. 😉

Click on any of the highlighted text in this post to take you to the slipper tutorial.

This snowman started out as a clear glass hurricane shade I picked up at a yard sale. The shade was classic for everyday use, but I wanted something a little more festive for the holidays. I chose to use acrylic enamel as the base for the snowman to ensure the paint would be durable and less likely to scratch or flake from handling. This is a quick project that can be completed in about an hour, including drying time.

Thoroughly clean the outside of the shade using window cleaner and a paper towel.

Wet a sea sponge and wring it out so that it’s damp, but not dripping. Pour white acrylic enamel paint onto a paper plate. Place the hurricane shade over your arm. With the other hand, dip the sponge into the paint and dab it on the glass. Repeat until the entire outer surface of the shade has been painted. Carefully stand the shade on your work surface to dry.

Using a paintbrush and powder blush, paint two large cheeks on the center-front of the shade.

Lay the shade on a bath towel to prevent the shade from rolling. Dip a paintbrush in orange acrylic paint. Pointing it to one side, paint a 2-inch triangle with a 3/4-inch base between the cheeks for the carrot nose.

Dip the eraser end of a new pencil in black acrylic paint. Dot two eyes spaced 1/4 inch apart and 1/2 inch above the nose.

Draw a smile using a black paint pen. Allow the face paint to dry.

Rip a 2-inch wide by 36-inch long strip from Christmas fabric. Stand the shade right side up on your work surface. Wrap the fabric strip around the bottom of the shade. Bring the ends together and tie into a bow on the front of the snowman. Trim the ends of the strip as desired.

Light a tea candle in a glass votive holder. Place the snowman hurricane shade over the candle. The candlelight will shine through the snowman head.

For a snowman hurricane shade that can be displayed throughout the winter months, substitute a winter novelty fabric for the Christmas fabric.

When I see old sweaters at yard sales I have to buy them. The fact that yard sales in my area are often held when the temperature is over 100 means sweaters are practically given away. These sweaters are a cheap craft resource for holiday crafts. In my opinion, this Christmas stocking design looks much more upscale than the original sweater it came from. Can’t you just see a bunch of these hanging over a cabin fireplace, or down the rail of a pine garland clad staircase? Depending on the size of the sweater and the size of your stocking pattern, you should be able to get at least two stockings from each sweater. Three, if you open the sleeves and use the cuffs as the top edge.

Turn an adult-size sweater wrong side out and lay it on your work surface. Align the bottom edges of the sweater. Place an existing Christmas stocking, or a paper stocking pattern on the sweater. Align the top edge of the stocking shape (pattern) with the bottom edges of the stocking. Pin the pattern through both layers of the sweater. Cut around the pattern. Note: The top of the stocking (bottom edge of the sweater) is not to be cut. It will be the finished edge for the the top opening of the stocking.

Remove the pattern. Pin the side and bottom edges of the sweater stocking shape together. Sew the pinned edges using a straight stitch and a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Sew around the edges once again using a zigzag stitch on the seam allowance. This will finish the raw edges and prevent the knitted stitches from unraveling. Turn the stocking right side out. Press the seams with a warm iron.

Lay the stocking flat on your work surface. Measure across the width of the stocking at its widest point. Double that and add 24 inches. Using your new measurement, cut a length of rickrack in a color that coordinates with your sweater.

Measure 1 inch down from the top edge of your stocking. Starting on the front seam of the stocking and 12 inches from one end of the rickrack, pin the rickrack around the stocking. The rickrack will meet again on the front seam of the stocking. Both ends of the rickrack will have approximately 12 inches extending. These tails will be ties. Top stitch the pinned rickrack around the stocking.

Tie the rickrack tails in a knot against the seam, then tie into a bow. Trim the tails to the desired length.

Burrow a hole on one side of a 2-inch diameter pompom. Apply hot glue in the hole. Place one end of the rickrack in the glue. Squeeze the edges of the pompom hole around the rickrack end. Repeat with the remaining pompom and and rickrack end.

Cut a 5-inch length of rickrack. Fold the rickrack in half, matching the two cut ends. Place the ends inside the stocking, against the back seam. Sew across the cut ends of the rickrack. This is your stocking’s hanger.

I feel like I have been gone forever, but a lot happened since my last post. We moved! From Thanksgiving weekend until this past weekend we have moved, unpacked, put things away, decorated the house with normal and Christmas decor and I am more than halfway through with my Christmas baking. Whew!

Now it’s time to address my blog. I had so many tutorials I wanted to post for Christmas, but with only a week to go…, well, let’s just say I’ll post as many as I can before the big jolly guy comes down your chimney. 😉

Greet your holiday guests at the door with a snowman painted vintage suitcase. Its whimsical message will have all those who enter your house grinning with Christmas spirit.

Vintage suitcases are not difficult to find. Yard sales and auctions are great sources for picking them up for practically nothing.

Pour white acrylic latex paint onto a paper plate. For large craft projects like this, I save money by using wall paint left over from previous home projects. Wet a sea sponge and wring it out well. Dip the sponge in the paint and sponge the paint over the surface of the suitcase. Paint everything, including the hinges and the latches. The handle does not need to be painted. Allow the paint to dry.

Pour a small amount of light pink paint on a paper plate. Wad up a paper towel. Dip a stencil brush into the paint. Scrub the wet brush into the towel. Working in a circular motion, rub large rounds cheeks onto the front of the suitcase. Note: Before painting, make sure the suitcase is positioned with the handle at the top.

Dip the end of a 1/2-inch dowel in black acrylic paint. Dot two eyes approximately 1/4 inch apart, just above the center of the suitcase front. Draw a large smile using a black paint pen.

Starting in the center of the face, using a paintbrush and orange acrylic paint, paint a carrot nose in a zigzag motion. Allow the paint to dry.

Starting half way up the left side of the suitcase front, working across the top and halfway down the right side of the suitcase front, write “In The Meadow We Will Build A Snowman” using a black paint pen. Dip the blunt end of a wood skewer into black acrylic paint. Dot the angles and intersections on each letter. Allow the paint to dry.

Rip a 1-inch-wide strip of Christmas or snowman fabric. Apply craft glue to the handle of the suitcase. Wrap the strip around the handle.

It does not matter what the inside of the suitcase looks like, as the case need not be opened. It can, however, be used to store Christmas decorations at the end of the season.

Big news for our family! We are moving again. Yep, if you have been a follower for at least a year, you know we sold our home and moved the first part of February. At that time we were limited to rentals that were available. In a small town it wasn’t encouraging. We were thankful we found something, but we had to settle for something way too small for our family. A couple of months ago the landlord told us of his intentions to put the rental up for sale. We didn’t want to be caught with no where to go when our lease was up at the end of January so we started looking again. AND we found it! Much bigger. More our style (cute, late 1800s home). Slightly (just slightly) higher rent. We had to go for it or it would be gone. Sooo….we’re moving…now…and during the next couple of weeks. Send us good juju. Hey, at least it’s not snowing like last year…at least not this week.

I have several projects I intend to post, but time and internet connections may screw that up a bit. I’ll keep plodding away whenever I can. Meanwhile…

…these lights were a terrific thrifting find this summer. There are seven of them. I love the silicone bulbs.

In keeping with my last-minute-clean-the-drawers-out-before-the-last-craft-show-of-the-season kinda crafting, I decided snowman lights were the perfect use for these adorable lights.